Your US mid-term elections daily digest

There are just under four weeks until the US elections that will help define the rest of Donald Trump’s presidency.

The mid-term elections will see people vote for members of both houses of Congress, as well as for governors in 36 out of 50 states.

Between now and then, we’ll bring you updates and all the best analysis every weekday in this round-up.

Today: health becomes the number-one issue, and more fears of voter suppression.

One video to watch

The second-most Googled question about the mid-term elections is… what are the mid-term elections?

It’s OK to ask – and our Colleen Hagerty has produced this guide for those who are curious.

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Media captionHang on, what ARE the US ‘mid-terms’?

One key quote

It’s quite the claim from the US president, made in an opinion piece in USA Today on Wednesday.

But its also notable because it spells out one of the key matters on people’s minds as the mid-terms get closer: healthcare.

What Trump is alleging in his column is that Democrats want to destroy Medicare – a popular government-managed healthcare programme for the elderly – by rolling it out for the entire country.

He even says Democrats on the ballot next month want to turn America into Venezuela.

Your simple guide to the mid-terms

Should Trump be worried by mid-terms?

Hyperbole aside, this makes it clear that healthcare is well and truly a topic the main parties feel is worth fighting over in November.

Democrats are campaigning on concerns over insurance premiums, among other issues, and one study has found that half of all ads for Democrats in Senate races mention healthcare (the figure was much lower for Republicans – 24%).

Our correspondent Anthony Zurcher has broken down the reasons why Trump decided to focus on this issue right now. And here’s a clue: the older you are, the more you’ll have liked what he said.

One race to follow

Image copyrightReuters/EPA

Image caption Brian Kemp and Stacey Abrams are vying to be governor in Georgia

Voter registration is proving to be a key issue with less than a month to go before the mid-terms.

Yesterday, we wrote how the issue (and a key Supreme Court ruling) could prove to be decisive in North Dakota’s Senate race. And now another story is developing in Georgia.

There, Democrat Stacey Abrams could become America’s first black female governor. She’s running against Republican Brian Kemp, and the race appears too close to call for now.

The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that the registrations of up to 53,000 people in the state are being held up. Many of those people are black, AP say, and many may not know their eligibility is in doubt.

The decision on whether they’re eligible is being held up by the office of Georgia’s Secretary of State.

His name? Brian Kemp.

Mr Kemp’s office says it is trying to defend against voter fraud, and AP say the 53,000 registrations being held were flagged up as potentially fraudulent.

This is because Georgia insists that voter registration information must match a driver’s licence, state ID card or social security records (one case AP identified affected a teacher who had moved house this year).

Ms Abrams’ camp has accused Mr Kemp and his office of attempted voter suppression, and a tight race looks like it will get only more bitter.